Microsoft has released a new version of Windows 11 virtual machine, which can be used free of charge by users in need during a 90-day evaluation period. The latest update, version 2311, allows you to try out the latest features introduced by Microsoft in the Moment 4 update. These features include a redesigned file explorer, new volume mixer, native RGB controls, native RAR archive compression support, Copilot, and more.
Windows Development Environment (WDE) version 2311 is based on Windows 11 Enterprise and has version number 22621.2715 (the latest Patch Tuesday update). The new Moment4 update feature is enabled by default, so you don't need to install any additional updates to try it out. Users will also have the option to update it to Windows 11 version 23H2, which will be released on October 31, 2023.
Detailed information about this build released by Microsoft:
Downloading Windows Development Environment 2311 allows you to try out the latest Windows 11 updates and Microsoft's developer tools. These include Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition (including UWP, NET Desktop, Azure and Windows App SDK), Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 with Ubuntu installed by default, Windows Terminal and Windows Developer Mode.
Microsoft's Windows 11 virtual machines cannot be activated using normal methods, but the company allows their use during a 90-day free evaluation period. Version 2311 will expire on February 13, 2024. After that, the virtual machine will start showing typical symptoms of activation issues, such as black background, activation prompt, etc. If you see activation errors immediately after installing a virtual machine, run the Windows Activation Troubleshooter to resolve it.
Is it possible to activate the Windows licenses in these images for long-term use?
No, because these virtual machine images use the Windows Enterprise Evaluation Edition and do not support product key activation.
You can download Windows Development Environment version 2311 from the official website:
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/
It is available as a pre-built virtual machine for Hyper-V, VMware Workstation Pro and Workstation Player, Parallels Desktop for Mac, and VirtualBox. Please note that WDE requires at least 8GB of memory and at least 70GB of free disk space. You can also download an evaluation image without additional software.